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Digital Information Literacy Toolkit

This guide is for faculty seeking to add Digital Information Literacy Teaching and Learning to their courses.

In this Guide

Purpose of the Guide

This "toolkit" directs faculty to resources in support of student learning of essential skills and practices of Digital Information Literacy. Visit other pages to learn about:

LEADS Alignment

Digital Information Literacy aligns best with the following strategic areas:

  • Learning: Promote digital technologies for engaged learning and value-added opportunities for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and collaborators.
  • Learning: Infuse dynamic learning approaches, environments and student-centered pedagogy (e.g. competency-based, project-based, high impact practices, etc.) in the core curriculum. Enhance the goals of fostering creative expression, critical inquiry, and interdisciplinary learning.
  • Discovery: Foster innovative teaching, applied learning, and transformative research that exemplifies discovery, as shown by experimenting, researching, drafting, writing, prototyping, rehearsing, etc.

Metrics to measure how the initiative aligns with these strategic areas include:

Quantitative

  • The number of courses validated in the Essential Studies Program's new Digital Information Literacy special emphasis area.
  • The number of faculty members who attended the librarian-led Digital Information Literacy workshop, and the number of faculty members who consulted with the librarians outside the workshop.
  • The number and variety of projects students produce due to their participation in Digital Information Literacy courses.

Qualitative

  • How faculty incorporate what they learned at the Digital Information Literacy workshop into their teaching.
  • The types of assignments faculty assign associated with Digital Information Literacy in their courses (gathered in course validation requests).
  • How faculty address the Digital Information Literacy guidelines and outcomes in their courses gathered in course validation requests).
  • Possibly a showcase of student projects that result from their participation in Digital Information Literacy courses.

SBHE @UND

Definition

  • Digital Literacy is the ability to use technology to find information, evaluate sources, create content, and communicate with others effectively. It’s a skill set used to navigate the new technological paradigm in which society operates - SBHE Policy 461.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Evaluate and interpret the accuracy, credibility, and relevance of digital information;
  2. Describe the ways in which society and culture interact with digital technology;
  3. Demonstrate the knowledge to use digital technology safely and ethically at a basic level;
  4. Understand the applicability of digital literacy and artificial intelligence to the current and emerging workforce.

History

  • Spring 2023 the State Board of Higher Education (SBHE) issues Policy 461, requiring that NDUS institutions make a digital literacy requirement for all associate and baccalaureate-level programs
  • Fall 2023 the Essential Studies Committee (ESC) voted to explore how a new Special Emphasis Requirement, if added to the ES Program, could address the academic learning outcomes of the SBHE policy. A 40-person Working Group, with staff and faculty representatives from across campus starting work on crafting a recommendation for implementation.
  • Spring 2024 the University Senate approved the UND Requirements proposed by the ESC. With funding from the Provost's office, workshops with faculty, librarians and instructional designers begin.
  • Fall 2024 a few select "fast-track" courses validated for Digital Information Literacy Special Emphasis. Validations to expand course offering in this special emphasis begins.

UND Implementation

The Essential Studies program requires that students—starting with all first-time college students beginning in Fall 2024 and all new transfer students beginning in Fall 2025 must:

  • Take a Special Emphasis course in Digital Information Literacy to address outcomes a, b and d; ethical aspects from c
  • Complete self-paced modules to address outcome c.

Faculty can validate courses for the ES Digital Information Literacy Special Emphasis Area

  • Information Literacy Learning Goal (original to ES)
  • Digital Information Literacy Special Emphasis (new)

The rest of the guide provides helpful information.